Call set up rates in telephony networks can vary considerably depending upon particular applications. Conferencing applications that have a large number of participants can generate very high call set up rates, in terms of the number of calls per second, because many simultaneous calls can be originated, established, and terminated in a very short period of time. To handle this surge in simultaneous call setups and terminations, Call Control Element (CCE) with additional processing capacity has to be deployed. This eventually leads to significantly higher capital costs. However, if a surge in call setup and terminations can be spread out in time, the call processing capacity required to handle the surge will be significantly lower.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for introducing a delay during a call setup in a packet network, e.g., a VoIP network.